Thursday, October 30, 2014

A warm thank you to Sebastian for sending this ink for review - warm because this ink is so warm and delicious. LOOK AT IT. Like caramel apple pie juice. Don't even argue. You know exactly what I mean. (With cinnamon).

Oh my, caramel brown. I was so eager to try this colour because I was dying to see what colour Kaweco thought "caramel brown" was. I think they nailed it. It's a warm, rich brown that looks creamy. I love it. It's a well-behaved ink, though pricy. If you don't burn through ink like crazy, and you are seeking a nice brown, do give this one a go. It's really quite lovely in a wet nib.

I received this ink free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not compensated monetarily for my review. Everything you've read here is my own opinion.

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The Aleph arrived with very interesting packaging - the pen was nestled in a recycled cardboard paper bed, in a paper box that has Marlen's information on it, along with the Aleph logo. The box says 100% eco friendly, and it looks like it's made from recycled materials, which I really like. All the packaging is recyclable, which I really like, so there is little waste. Way to go, Marlen.

APPEARANCE

The Aleph is a large, beautiful fountain pen. The ends are flat and fairly blunt. The finial has the Marlen logo on it, and it matches the pen well, being simple and tasteful. The barrel is a pearlescent grey resin and has no bells and whistles on it, which adds to its beauty, in my opinion. The only trim is the clip and three chrome rings around the cap. The section is also the pearly grey resin, and the threads are at the end of the section right before a small step to the barrel. The barrel gradually tapers towards the end, and the whole pen has a sleek look to it by not having any sudden or drastic shapes to it.

What really must be mentioned is the very pretty clear feed. When inked, the ink can be seen through the breather hole, and when looked at from underneath, the entire feed shines with the colour of the ink. It's lovely.

NIB & PERFORMANCE

The nib is large and very attractive. It is a steel nib with a heart-shaped breather hole. I really like it because it is not adorned with much - it just has the Aleph letter, and it says Marlen on it in small writing. It's very tasteful and simple. In addition, there are two notches cut into the sides ("the wings"), which not only serve a functional purpose; they are aesthetically pleasing as well.

The nib is pleasant to use unflexed - it's lovely and smooth when the tines are properly aligned, with good flow. I found that when flexed, the tines could become misaligned relatively easily, perhaps because they are long and thin. When writing with pressure, the feed can run dry, so one must pay attention to slow down with this pen to allow the feed time to keep up with the ink demands. Unflexed, as I mentioned, there are no issues with ink flow. I was disappointed to find the feed runs dry so easily when the nib is flexed. It's normal for a pen to railroad when it's pushed, but a nib that is marketed as a flex nib should be able to keep up with average flex writing.

With moderate pressure, the nib flexes to give moderate line variation, so in that regard, the flex is nice.

IN HAND

The piston-turning knob is exposed enough to operate easily and comfortably. The section is also nice and comfortable, smooth with a slight flare towards the nib.

Although the pen is fairly large, it's not too heavy, and when unposted, I find it perfectly comfortable to use as it falls right into the perfect spot on my hand to write with - but this is just as it was designed to do. I do find it a little difficult to control though because the nib is thin and long, leaving my grip far from the nib itself. I like to grip as close to the nib as possible to have as much control over my writing as possible. I could just be weird though.

Like I said, it's fairly large.

PROS & CONS

OVERALL

While I find this pen intriguing, I was disappointed by its flex capabilities. The pen is attractive, I think it's great that it's a piston-filler, the nib is attractive, the feed is neat, and it writes nicely unflexed, but not drying out so easily is a real downer. If it was a lower price, I'd say jump in, but at full retail price, it leaves me hesitant.

Monday, October 27, 2014

A set of mailbox goodies arrived not too long ago! In the box was an Apica CD15 notebook, some sheets of Le Typographe's paper with a bee on it, a sample of Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Gaki (appropriate for the current weather), and a Sailor King of Pen on loan! Yes. It must be returned to its owner, but its a stunner. Review is coming! Last but not least was a handwritten note, the final touch.